Process for preparing sausage products

Abstract

A low-fat and/or low-salt and/or low-phosphate sausage is prepared by subjecting an encased meat batter, which has been prepared from meat, added fat, ice and nitrite curing salt and then stuffed into a casing, to a hydrostatic pressure of from 500 bar to 4,000 bars and then cooking the pressure-treated sausage.

We claim: 
     
       1. In a process for preparing a sausage product wherein a batter comprising chopped meat, added water, added fat and nitrite curing salt components is prepared, then stuffed into a casing and then the encased product is cooked, the improvements comprising: preparing the batter so that the batter consists essentially of, by weight, meat in an amount of from 40% to 70%, added water in an amount of from 20% to 50%, nitrite curing salt components in an amount up to 1.8% and a fat content of less than 25% by weight, and prior to cooking the encased product, vacuum packing the encased product in a package to obtain a vacuum-packed encased product, subjecting the vacuum-packed, encased product to hydrostatic pressure of from 500 bars to 2000 bars to obtain a pressure-treated encased product contained in the package and then unpacking the pressure-treated encased product from the package prior to cooking the encased product.   
     
     
       2. A process according to claim 1 wherein the vacuum-packed, encased product is subjected to the hydrostatic pressure for up to 60 minutes. 
     
     
       3. A process according to claim 2 wherein the vacuum-packed, encased product is subjected to the hydrostatic pressure at a temperature of from -15° C. to 100° C. 
     
     
       4. A process according to claim 1 wherein the vacuum-packed, encased product is subjected to the hydrostatic pressure for up to 10 min at a temperature of from 5° C. to 60° C. 
     
     
       5. A process according to claim 1 wherein the batter contains from 50% to 60% chopped meat by weight. 
     
     
       6. A process according to claim 1 wherein the batter contains from 25% to 45% added water by weight. 
     
     
       7. A process according to claim 1 or 5 wherein the batter has a fat content of up to 10%. 
     
     
       8. A process according to claim 7 wherein the chopped meat is a chopped lean meat. 
     
     
       9. A process according to claim 1 wherein the batter has a fat content of up to 20%. 
     
     
       10. A process according to claim 1 wherein the batter is a low-phosphate sausage batter. 
     
     
       11. A process according to claim 1 wherein the batter contains from 1.4% to 1.8% nitrite curing salt components. 
     
     
       12. A process according to claim 1 wherein the batter contains 1.2 to 1.8% nitrite curing salt components. 
     
     
       13. A process according to claim 1 wherein the vacuum-packed, encased product is subjected to the hydrostatic pressure and then the pressure is released and then, at least once more, the vacuum-packed, encased product is subjected to the hydrostatic pressure and the pressure is then released.